Underground conduit for electric wires



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

W. H. JOHNSTONE,

UNDERGROUND GONDUIT FOR ELECTRIC WIRES. No. 279,392. Patented June 12,1883.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

. W. H. JOHNSTONE.

UNDERGROUND GONDUIT FOR ELECTRIC WIRES.

No. 279,392. Patented June 12,1883.

I UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

' \VILLIAM H. J OHNSTONE,-OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

UNDERGROUND CQNDUI I' FO R ELECTRIC WIRES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 279,392, dated June 12, 1863, V Application filed April 2,1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM H. JOHN- sToNE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Underground Conduits for Electric Vires; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part hereof. V

The nature of my invention will fully appear I from the following description and claims.

Each of these sections may be composed of flat pieces of metal, either of sheet or thin plate metal or of wire or bar open-work, as represented in the drawings, and loosely hinged or jointed at their ends in any suitable manner.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective broken view of a conduit, showing the internal ribs and a part of one of my barred open-work shelves in place in the con duit; Fig. 2, a detached side view of a side bar of one section of said shelf; Fig. 3, an en larged longitudinal sectional View, on the line Y Y of Fig. 1, of the adjoining ends of two of these side bars, showing my method of riveting the joint; Fig. 4, a similar view, showing the same joint before the rivet-head is upset or flattened; Fig. 5, a detached sectional view of a side bar on the line Z Z of Fig. 2, showing a method of securing the ends of the cross-bar "in the same; Fig. 6, a plan View of the form of shelf shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 7, a perspective view of a modification of my shelf, showing the short side bars made of twisted wires, the contiguous ends of the bars being hooked one to another, and the cross-bars being secured to the same by closed hooks or rings at the ends of said cross-bars. Fig. 8 is a section of my jointed shelf constructed of flattened wire or flattened bars, the side bars, D, being of flattened metal set on the narrow edge, each bar terminating in rings or eyes and joined together at H by ordinary rivets. The crossbars are also flattened wires or ribs set 011 the narrow edge, the ends being riveted through the side bars at points where the latter are outwardly recessed, whereby the heads of the rivets do not project beyond the outer line or surface of the side bars. Fig. 9 is a broken view, showing one of my metallic sections when sheet or plate metal is used, such sections being intended to be hinged or jointed together in any ordinary or well-known manner.

A is. a form of conduit already set forth and described in the United States Letters Patent of Goodfellow, dated February 20, 1883; B, the inner ribs for supporting the shelves; C, the fastening for securing the opposite plates together.

D D are short side bars for sustaining the cross-bars E E; F, (see Fig. 2,) a ring or open- 7 5 ing in one end of the side bar, to fit over the rivet in. the end of the next cross-bar; G, a struck-up hollow rivet or projection, resembling an eyelet, on the opposite end of each side bar, to receive upon it the ring of the next side bar, whereupon it is struck down or upset-that is, its ends are flanged over in the form of a fastened eyelet all of which is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Of course these ends may bej oi ned when both ends are in the form shown at F, Fig. 2, by means of ordinary rivets or screwbolts; or the sections, which practically form a flat chain when united, may be joined together by the hook device set forth in United States Letters Patent of February 1.9, 1867, No. 62,204, for index-chain for looms, where the sections are shown detachablyj oined or hooked together, constituting a flat chain. The interspace between the joints may be either open, as I have shown, or full, as indicated in said 5 patent; but such full surface should be plain and smooth if such surface is formed of sheet or plate metal. I shall, in practice, pierce it with openings in the manner shown in Fig. 9, to permit condensed moisture to descend 100 through said openings.

In Fig. 7, D D are twisted wire side bars, hinged at H H by means of closed hooks, which, while joining side bar to side bar, still act as hinges, practically the same as hinges D. (See Fig. 6.)

E E are the cross-bars holding the side bars apart and spanning the width of the shelf, which are joined to said side bars by their bent-over ends I I. (See Fig. 7.)

One form of securing the cross-bars E to the side bars, D, is shown in Fig. 5, where the thinned end of the crossbar is passed through an opening in the side bar and riveted upon the outside of the latter. The thinning of the ends of the cross-bar and the cutting of the same'into lengths I accomplish with an ordinary die and cutting-machine, into which the wire rod designed to be cut into bars is passed, and the same is cut thin at regular intervals and divided into suitablelengths. The shoul der formed between the thick and thinned p ortions of the bar serves as a stay to prevent the side bar from working back on the cross-bar after or during the riveting of the thinned end in the side bar.

I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to any special means ofv hingin g or j ointing together the sections or frames composing my shelf, as almost all of the hinges or working-joints known in the arts will answer my purpose; nor do I limit myself to an open-work shelf.

It will be observed that the side ribs B within the conduit serve as side supports for the side ribs of the shelving, and that, the end of a shelf being inserted into one end of the conduit upon two opposite supporting-ribs within the same, the whole shelf can be drawn into said con- .duit by means of a draw-wire from the opposite ends of the same, or, while said conduit is being laid, that the shelf can be built therein, while the plates of the conduit are being j oined one to another, by riveting, hinging, or hooking one metallic section. of the shelf to another and lengthening it as the work progresses.

The distance of the cross -bars E E from each other can be varied to suit the exigencies of the case. I shall place them from one .and a half to two and a half or three inches apart. I may place them as close as one inch from each other. The closerthey aretogether the less liability there will be to have the end.

together. I am aware that sections of metal for such shelving have been used before; but where the sections were united one to another the joint was always as stiff or even more rigid than the metallic sections so united.

WVhat I claim as new is- 1. In combination with the conduit for underground electric wires, ametallic shelf composed of a series of sections joined together by hinges or loose joints and sustained within. said conduit upon suitable supports, substan tially as described.

2. I11 combination with a conduit for underground electric wires, a shelf composed of a series of metallic sections joined together by flexible connections and sustained upon suitable supports within said conduit, whereby said shelf, while being continuous, will lie flat upon its supports, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a conduit for underground electric wires, a continuous shelf formed of a series of metallic sections, the latter being joined one to another by flexible connections and sustained upon suitable supports, whereby said shelf can be drawn from. one end of the conduit into the whole length of the same and lie snugly upon its supports, sub stantially as described.

4:. In combination with. a conduit for underground electric wires, a continuous shelf formed of a series of wire frames, said sections being jointed or loosely hinged one to another and sustained upon suitable supports within said conduit, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a conduit for underground electric wires, a continuous shelf com posed of a series of wire sections hinged or loosely jointed one to another and sustained upon. suitable supports in said conduit, each section being joined to its neighboring section by a flexible joint or hinge, and composed of side bars, I), and cross-bars E, the latter being joined to opposite cross-bars between the joints or flexible connectionsin each section, substantially as described.

6. In an underground conduit for electric wires, the combination of an open continuous joined rib-shelf, formed of sections or frames jointed together and composed of side bars,D, and cross-bars E, the latter being constructed of flattened wire bars or ribs set upon edge, whereby the greatest resisting strength is offered to super-incumbent weights, said shelf being sustained upon suitable supports within said conduit, substantially as described.

IVM. I-I. JOHNSTONE. \Vitnesses:

GEORGE E. BUCKLEY, N. H. CULBER.

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